Mölders

Mölders is a guided missile warship of the Lütjens class now open to visitors at the German Marine Museum in Wilhelmshaven. The gray steel hull reaches 134 meters in length and carries a 127-millimeter gun forward plus missile launch rails aft.

Built between 1966 and 1969 at Bath Iron Works shipyard in Maine, the warship was commissioned by the German Navy in 1969. After 34 years of service in the Atlantic and Mediterranean, active duty ended in 2003 and the vessel moved to Wilhelmshaven.

Named after a fighter pilot from World War Two, the vessel's designation later sparked debate about commemoration and led to questions about military naming traditions. Onboard spaces with bunks, mess halls and radio equipment show how crews lived during long deployments at sea.

Visitors board the vessel via a gangway and can explore four decks including the bridge, officer quarters and main deck. Tours run in several languages, and climbing stairs between levels requires some mobility.

During Operation Sharp Guard in 1992, the warship stopped a cargo vessel carrying T-72 tanks and enforced the weapons embargo against Yugoslavia. This action showed how warships in the 1990s controlled international sanctions on the open sea.